During the Qing dynasty Buddhism played a central role in the religious and political activities of the court. Huge fortunes were invested to construct Buddhist temples and monasteries in Beijing and across the empire, and to perform religious rituals to facilitate state affairs or to pray for the individual salvation of aristocrats and emperors at court.

Official porcelain vessels were specially commissioned for Buddhist altars. They were decorated with Buddhist symbols, and often enriched with Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian inscriptions. The inscription on this saucer is written in Mongolian characters; as a daughter of the emperor Daoguang married the prince of Western Tumet, a principality of Southern Mongolia, this was probably part of a service made for her.

The decoration is composed of Buddhist deities and the Eight Buddhist Emblems (ba ji xiang), which include the wheel of Law (lun), the conch (luo), the emblem of victory (san), the parasol (gai), the lotus (hehua), the vase (guan), the twin fish (yu), and the endless knot (panchang), each associated to a blessing. Originally from India, they were introduced into China in the early 14th century by Tibetan Buddhism, and they soon became popular decorative and auspicious motif for porcelain, textiles and cloisonné objects.